Beast from the East: Here's what the Met Office says about chances of winter disruption

The previous ‘Beast’ in 2018 brought heavy snow across the country including to Portsmouth.

The Met Office has said that it is tracking two weather events ‘fighting for influence over the UK’ which could bring more low temperatures in the coming weeks.

Meteorologists have observed a sudden stratospheric warming is under way, which is associated with very cold weather.

Sudden stratospheric warming in 2018 brought the heavy snow termed the Beast from the East; however, the Met Office said the event is more likely to bring more cold weather without heavy snow, though it is difficult to predict.

The agency is also tracking a La Nina in the Pacific, which could bring wet and stormy weather as it increases the UK’s chances of westerly winds.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey told the PA news agency: ‘You’ve got the two events happening at the same time so they vie against each other in a sense.

‘They’re sort of fighting for influence over the UK, we’re a very small dot in the middle of the ocean.’

SEE MORE: The Beast from the East: One year on from the freak snowstorm that brought the South to a standstill

She added that the warming in the stratosphere takes at least 10 days to move down into our atmosphere.

Ms Maxey continued: ‘The feeling at the moment is that we may see some colder weather towards the end of January into February, but probably the sort of weather that we’re seeing at the moment, as opposed to what is popularly perceived as a Beast from the East.

‘There’s still a lot to play for, we’re keeping an eye on the situation, the experts are working on how that might influence our weather.’

What are your memories from the Beast from the East in 2018? Let us know in the comments below!

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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